Lakewood High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades in Lakewood Township, Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as the lone secondary school of the Lakewood School District.
| Lakewood High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
 | |
855 Somerset Avenue , , 08701 United States | |
| Coordinates | 40°06′02″N 74°11′43″W / 40.100563°N 74.1953317°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| School district | Lakewood School District |
| NCES School ID | 340822004636[1] |
| Principal | Richard Goldstein |
| Faculty | 83.5 FTEs[1] |
| Grades | 9 - 12 |
| Enrollment | 1,423 (as of 2022–23)[1] |
| Student to teacher ratio | 17.0:1[1] |
| Color(s) | Blue White[2] |
| Athletics conference | Shore Conference[3] |
| Team name | Piners[2] |
| Newspaper | Pine Needle[4] |
| Yearbook | Pine Needle[4] |
| Website | lhs |
As of the 2022–23 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,423 students and 83.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 17.0:1. There were 1,136 students (79.8% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 80 (5.6% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[1]
History
editDuring the first half of the 20th century, Ocean County was a rural area, with Lakewood and Toms River (then known as Dover Township) serving as the region's commercial hubs. During the 1950s the landscape of the region would slowly start to change as the construction of the Garden State Parkway allowed more families the opportunity to move to Ocean County and still commute to New York City and North Jersey. Until the 1960s and 1970s, Lakewood High School served as a regional high school for the communities of Jackson Township to the west, Howell Township to the north, and Manchester Township to the southwest. While each municipality had their own elementary school district, they would send their students to Lakewood High School as part of a sending/receiving relationship.
With the influx of people to the area Lakewood High School's Somerset Avenue facility (now Lakewood Middle School) started to become overcrowded, and by the 1960s Jackson, Howell and Manchester had both grown enough to warrant the construction of their own high schools. Jackson Memorial High School would open in 1963 and its new school building opened the following year.[5][6] Howell High School (then known as Southern Freehold Regional High School) opened in 1964.[7] By June 1964 overcrowding at Lakewood High School led the Lakewood School District to push to end the agreement under which 150 students from Manchester Township attended the high school.[8] To help alleviate the overcrowding, a new Lakewood High School building was opened across the street from the old high school building in September 1971, housing students from Lakewood and Manchester. Manchester Township High School opened in September 1976, thus ending Lakewood High School's last sending/receiving relationship. [9]
Awards, recognition and rankings
editThe school was the 324th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 339 schools statewide in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2014 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", using a new ranking methodology.[10] The school had also been ranked 324th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 316th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.[11] The magazine ranked the school in 2008 out of 316 schools.[12] The school was ranked 288th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.[13]
Athletics
editThe Lakewood High School Piners[2] compete in Division B South of the Shore Conference, an athletic conference comprised of public and private high schools in Monmouth and Ocean counties along the Jersey Shore.[3][14] The league operates under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).[15] With 916 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group III for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 761 to 1,058 students in that grade range.[16] The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group IV South for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 890 to 1,298 students.[17] The school competes in the C-Central Division of the Shore Conference, in football, tennis, bowling, cheerleading, softball, baseball, wrestling, basketball, volleyball, track, cross country, and field hockey, with the most success over previous years coming in boys' basketball, boys soccer, and girls' and boys' track.
The boys' basketball team won the Group III state championships in 1967 (defeating West New York Memorial High School in the tournament final) and in 1975 (vs. East Orange High School).[18] The team won the Group III title in 1967 with a 74–51 win against Weehawken in the championship game played at Atlantic City Convention Hall, becoming the first Ocean County program to win a state title.[19] The 1975 team finished the season with a record of 28–1 after winning the Group III title in front of 4,000 spectators at Brookdale Community College with a 71–70 championship game victory on two last-second free throws against an East Orange team that came into the game unbeaten in 39 games and having won group titles in each of the three previous seasons.[20] The team won the Central Jersey Group III state sectional title in 2010, defeating Neptune High School in the sectional final by a score of 59–51.[21]
The baseball team won the North I Group III state title in 1967, won the Group III championships in 1973 (vs. Ridgefield Park High School) and 1980 (vs. Newark East Side High School), and won the Group IV title in 1984 (vs. West New York Memorial High School).[22]
The girls spring track team was the Group III state champion in 1976, 1977, 1979, 1988 and 1989.[23]
The boys track team won the Group III indoor track championship in 1985 and 1999.[24] The girls team won the Group III title in 1988.[25]
The 1986 football team football team finished the season with an 8–3 record after winning the South Jersey Group III state sectional title by defeating Bridgeton High School by a score of 7–6 in the championship game.[26][27]
In 1986, the boys' soccer team finished the season with a record of 15-6-1 after a 1–1 tie with Randolph High School made the team the Group III co-champion.[28][29]
The boys track team won the Group III spring / outdoor track state championship in 1987.[30]
The boys' track team won the Group III state indoor relay championship in 1988.[31]
The girls bowling team won the overall state championship in 1995.[32]
Administration
editThe school's principal is Richard Goldstein. His core administration team includes four assistant principals.[33]
Notable alumni
edit- Tyrice Beverette (born 1995, class of 2013), professional Canadian football linebacker for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League[34]
- Matthew Boxer, first New Jersey State Comptroller[35]
- Melvin Cottrell (1929-2002), former mayor of Jackson Township who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1992 until his death[36]
- Michael Cudlitz (born 1964), actor who has appeared in Band of Brothers and the TV shows Southland and The Walking Dead[37]
- Marc Eckō (born 1972), founder and CEO of Eckō Unltd.[38]
- Dick Estelle (born 1942), pitcher for the San Francisco Giants in 1964 and 1965[39]
- William Goldstein (born 1942), composer, recording artist, arts philosopher and improvisational pianist[40]
- Virginia E. Haines (born 1946, class of 1964), politician who serves on the Ocean County Board of County Commissioners and had served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1992 to 1994 and as Executive Director of the New Jersey Lottery from 1994 to 2002[41]
- C.S. Eliot Kang (born 1962), diplomat and member of the Senior Executive Service[42]
- Rich Medina (born 1969, class of 1988), DJ, producer, spoken word poet, archivist, and journalist[43]
- Purnell Mincy (1916–2003, class of 1937), Negro league baseball pitcher from 1938 to 1940[44]
- Chapelle Russell (born 1997; class of 2015), football player[45]
- Rubby Sherr (1913-2013), Princeton University physicist who participated in Manhattan Project at Los Alamos, New Mexico[46]
- Chris Smith (born 1987), basketball player for Hapoel Galil Elyon of the Israeli Liga Leumit[47]
- J. R. Smith (born 1985), National Basketball Association player[48]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e School data for Lakewood High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 1, 2024.
- ^ a b c Lakewood High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
- ^ a b Shore Conference Realignment for 2018-2019 and 2019-2020, Shore Conference. Accessed November 15, 2020.
- ^ a b Student Handbook and Code of Conduct 2020-2021, Lakewood High School. Accessed April 12, 2022.
- ^ "Board Sets Up 4-Year High At Lakewood", Asbury Park Press, October 29, 1963. Accessed October 9, 2024, via Newspapers.com. "Dr. David Zweben, president of the Board, said that the change is based on the knowledge that Jackson Township students who now attend the Lakewood junior and senior high schools will attend the new Jackson High School next year. He said that only those Jackson Township students now in the junior class who will be seniors next year will attend Lakewood High School."
- ^ Oglesby, Amanda. "Jackson Memorial celebrates 50 years", Asbury Park Press, October 7, 2014. Accessed September 26, 2024. "Fifty years ago, Jackson opened its first high school within the township, giving residents their own high school.... The building's completion drew an end to Jackson's previous educational relationship with Lakewood High School."
- ^ "Problems No Solved At Southern Regional", Asbury Park Press, October 13, 1964. Accessed September 26, 2024, via Newspapers.com. "The new Southern Freehold Regional High School is in operation, but a lot of work remains before the school is finished."
- ^ "Driver Class Stays as Is In Lakewood", Asbury Park Press, June 9, 1964. Accessed June 10, 2021. "The board voted to again notify Dr. Frederick M. Raubinger, state commissioner of education, it would like to have Manchester Township's 150 high school students withdrawn from the high school after 1964-65 because of overcrowding. James Dickerson, secretary, said the Board is in the process of signing an emergency one-year contract with the Manchester Board."
- ^ "Manchester Schools Expected To Spur Many New Residents", Asbury Park Press, September 13, 1976. Accessed June 10, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "The school system here will attract many new residents during the next two or three years, William F. White, Ocean County superintendent of schools, predicted yesterday. White spoke before about 500 persons at the dedication of the new, $6.3 million Manchester Township High School, which opened its doors Wednesday to 781 students from here and Lakehurst."
- ^ Staff. "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014", New Jersey Monthly, September 2, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014.
- ^ Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed August 22, 2012.
- ^ Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed January 31, 2011.
- ^ "Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly, September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008.
- ^ Member Schools, Shore Conference. Accessed November 15, 2020.
- ^ League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
- ^ NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
- ^ NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2024–2026, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
- ^ NJSIAA Boys Basketball Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
- ^ Sullivan, Jim. "Lakewood Upholds Shore Cage Prestige", Asbury Park Press, March 20, 1967. Accessed December 23, 2020, via Newspapers.com. "Lakewood High School saved the prestige of Central Jersey, Shore, and Ocean County basketball by winning the Group III state championship at Atlantic City Friday night. The Piners were the first Ocean County team to ever win a state cage title and were the first Shore public high school to win a state basketball title since Neptune won the Group 2 championship in 1949. LaRue backed up all the may or said and added 'They completely dominated the game (Friday night's 74-51 triumph over Weehawken) and knew it.'"
- ^ via Associated Press. "NJSIAA Finals Produce No Clear Champ", The Daily Journal, March 24, 1975. Accessed March 22, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "The weekend's. NJSIAA championship jamboree at Brookdale Community College here had the best teams in the state on exhibit and when the final whistle had blown Sunday evening there still was room for debate as to which New Jersey club is the best team in the state. Seven crowns were decided with Lakewood's 71-70 win over East Orange in Group III headlining the weekend. The win snapped East Orange's two year 39-game winning streak.... The contest between two of the state's most highly rated clubs was a struggle all. the way before a packed crowd of 4,000, the largest in the tournament. King led the winners, (28-1) with 19 points and ten rebounds."
- ^ Christopher, Chris. "Celebration: Piners win sectional title with victory over Neptune", Asbury Park Press, March 16, 2010. Accessed July 26, 2011. "The Piners received hats after their 59-51 win over visiting Neptune in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Central Jersey Group III championship game March 8. The season ended with the 20-9 Piners, hoping to qualify for a Group state championship game for the first time since 1975 when they bested East Orange in Group III, losing to Kingsway Regional by 20 points in the Group III semifinals."
- ^ Baseball Championship History: 1959–2024, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated June 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
- ^ NJSIAA Girls Spring Track Summary of Group Titles, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
- ^ Boys Winter Track and Field Championship History: 1922-2023, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated November 2023. Accessed February 1, 2024.
- ^ Girls Winter Track and Field Championship History: 1922-2023, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated November 2023. Accessed February 1, 2024.
- ^ NJSIAA Football History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed January 1, 2022.
- ^ Dean, Mike. "Lakewood squeaks by Bridgeton, 7-6", Courier-Post, December 7, 1986. Accessed January 14, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Lakewood High School clung to a first-quarter touchdown by senior quarterback Billy Gee to edge Bridgeton, 7-6, and capture the South Jersey Group 3 championship yesterday. The Piners finished their first winning season since 1974 at 8-3."
- ^ NJSIAA History of Boys Soccer, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed January 1, 2022.
- ^ Cappuzzo, Jim. "'Kissing their sisters'; Randolph has to settle for co-championship", Daily Record, November 27, 1986. Accessed March 31, 2021. "And when the final buzzer sounded, Randolph ended up with a 1-1 tie and a co-championship with Lakewood in the Group III championship game at Trenton State College. The state title marks the first for Randolph in its 12-year history.... The tie, the first for both teams this season, ended Randolph's season at 18-6-1. Lakewood finished at 15-6-1."
- ^ NJSIAA Spring Track Summary of Group Titles Boys, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 1, 2021.
- ^ History of the NJSIAA Indoor Relay Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 1, 2020.
- ^ History of NJSIAA Girls Bowling Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
- ^ Home Page, Lakewood High School. Accessed July 27, 2023.
- ^ Tyrice Beverette, Stony Brook Seawolves football. Accessed December 13, 2021. "Hometown: Lakewood, N.J.; High School: Lakewood"
- ^ Matthew Boxer Archived October 25, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey State Comptroller. Accessed September 18, 2012. "A New Jersey resident for more than three decades, Boxer graduated as the class valedictorian from Lakewood High School in 1988, graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University in 1992 with a B.A. in politics and earned a J.D. from Columbia University School of Law in 1995."
- ^ Rosman, Mark. "Assemblyman recalled for service to people in need", Tri-Town News, October 17, 2002. Accessed May 12, 2017. "Cottrell was a lifelong resident of Jackson, a graduate of the town's public schools and a graduate of Lakewood High School."
- ^ Michael Cudlitz, Turner Classic Movies. Accessed August 22, 2012. "Since his elementary school days, Cudlitz also showed an interest in acting and participated in school dramatics through his graduation from Lakewood High School."
- ^ Walker, Rob. "Cul-de-Sac Cred", The New York Times, July 10, 2005. "Marc Milecofsky grew up in Lakewood, N.J., about an hour and a half south of Manhattan.... He also figured out that not every place was as ethnically and culturally diverse as Lakewood's public schools, where there were as many black and Latino students as whites.... Ecko went to the Rutgers School of Pharmacy, where being a white hip-hop fan was more unusual than it had been at Lakewood High"
- ^ McKenzie, Doug. "Lakewood Hall of Fame welcomes 14 legends" Archived April 25, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Tri-Town News, May 4, 2006. Accessed July 26, 2011. "Estelle was the first Major League Baseball player from Lakewood High School, and just the second from Ocean County. Estelle signed with the San Francisco Giants on graduation day in 1960 and pitched on the 1962 National League championship team."
- ^ "Success is habit forming to Goldstein", Asbury Park Press, October 22, 1980. Accessed February 11, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "Success is getting to be a habit with William Goldstein, a film composer and arranger who grew up in Lakewood.... Goldstein was graduated from Lakewood High School, Trenton State College, the Manhattan School of Music and Juilliard School of Music."
- ^ Staff. "Haines picked to head lottery", Asbury Park Press, May 19, 1994. Accessed August 30, 2016. "Education: Graduated from Lakewood High School in 1964; attended Ocean County College."
- ^ "Lakewood graduates hear student speakers at ceremony", Asbury Park Press, June 18, 1981. Accessed January 27, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "Class valedictorian Kevin Nace and salutatorian Choo S. Kang, the top-ranked members in the senior class, also spoke at the ceremony."
- ^ Price, Toby. "Medina will take his talents to Cornell", Asbury Park Press, May 18, 1988. Accessed May 27, 2024, via Newspapers.com. "Rich Medina, a 6-7 forward from Lakewood, will attend Cornell University in the fall and continue his basketball career for the Ivy League champion Big Red. The Lakewood High School senior averaged 14.1 points, 9.6 rebounds and six blocks per game on his way to numerous postseason honors."
- ^ Edelson, Stephen. "Was Purnell Mincy the Jersey Shore's greatest athlete?", Asbury Park Press, February 20, 2015. Accessed October 17, 2020. "Purnell Mincy was a three-sport star at Lakewood, graduating in 1937.... I'm beginning to think Lakewood's Purnell Mincy might be the greatest athlete the Jersey Shore has ever produced...."
- ^ Falk, Steven; Edelson, Stephen (April 25, 2020). "NFL Draft 2020: Chapelle Russell of Lakewood picked by Tampa Bay". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
- ^ Staff. "Rubby Sherr", Town Topics, July 17, 2013. Accessed August 18, 2014. "Rubby Sherr was born on September 14, 1913 in Long Branch, N.J., of immigrant parents from Lithuania, graduating from Lakewood New Jersey high school, earning his undergraduate degree from New York University in 1934 and a PhD from Princeton University in 1938."
- ^ Heyman, Brian. "Basketball-Playing Brothers Are Together and Apart on the Court", The New York Times, January 23, 2009. Accessed December 1, 2016. "Like J. R., Chris starred at Lakewood and St. Benedict's. He planned to attend Seton Hall but never made it."
- ^ Earl "J.R." Smith player profile Archived September 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, USA Basketball. Accessed March 3, 2007. "As a sophomore attended Lakewood High School (N.J.), and aided his squad to a 23-6 record and the South Jersey Group 3 championship, averaged 27.0 ppg., 8.0 rpg. and 3.0 bpg."